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Library/Campaign/Columbia Sportswear: Expedition Impossible
Grade B21 sourcesHIS-00100

Columbia Sportswear: Expedition Impossible

Campaign · 2025 · Niche

39Editable slideCertificate

The agency reported an earned audience of 80 million for Columbia’s flat-Earth dare.

Original · Columbia Sportswear / Tim Boyle
Clip · Columbia Sportswear on YouTube
Expedition Impossible | Columbia Sportswear
Columbia Sportswear on YouTube
Uninsured Edition
The Scathing Atheist / Apple Podcasts
Columbia Sportswear (COLM) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript - AOL
Columbia Sportswear / Motley Fool / AOL (earnings call transcript)
Weekly Report: Dollar Tree shifts to emotional branding as it eyes $1 billion in untapped sales
Ad Age Insider / Apple Podcasts
Expedition Impossible - TBWA Worldwide Site
TBWA Worldwide (campaign agency)
Expedition Impossible Finale | Columbia Sportswear
Columbia Sportswear on YouTube
Columbia Sportswear CEO Offers Flat Earth Challenge | Geoff Desreumaux posted on the topic | LinkedIn
Geoff Desreumaux / LinkedIn
Columbia Sportswear | Expedition Impossible
The One Club for Creativity (agency award entry)
Debunking Humor...
Metabunk

Spread Score

How it works
Reach33Contagion35Breadth30Velocity65LongevityNo data yet39

Numbers

Agency-reported earned audience; method undisclosed
80M
Self-reported · TBWA Worldwide (campaign agency)
Seed to peak
6 days
Dec 2 ’25 to Dec 8 ’25
Platforms
6
Started on YouTube
Origin
Mixed
Fashion & accessories

Mechanics

  • ChallengePrimary
  • Platform jump
  • Controversy
  • Unhinged voice
  • Pairing

How it spread

Trace the origin

Columbia offered a $100,000 asset bundle for a photo of Earth’s edge. Newspaper ads and a CEO film led to forum debate and press coverage. The campaign ended without a winner.

Dec ’25Jan ’26FebAprJunJulAugYouTubePressOpen webAudioRedditTV
YouTubePressOpen webAudioRedditTV

11 more events on this chart

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Timeline (14)

  1. December 2025

    Columbia Sportswear / Tim Boyle seed · Dec 2 ’25

    Columbia launched a find-the-edge challenge with a newspaper letter and a CEO film.[1][2][3]

    Expedition Impossible | Columbia Sportswear
    Open the first post ↗

  2. Marketing Dive press · Dec 2 ’25

    Marketing Dive covered the launch and disclosed the prize assets were valued at $100,000.[4]

  3. Hevach / Metabunk backlash · Dec 3 ’25

    Hevach criticised the prize bundle as providing free garbage removal for Columbia.[5]

    Debunking Humor...
Changelogupdated Oct 12 ’26
  1. 2026-10-12Added: 14 events, 20 sources · Score 39
Origin
Mixed
Sector
Fashion & accessories
Region
US
Agency-reported earned audience; method undisclosed
80M
Self-reported · TBWA Worldwide (campaign agency)
Evidence
Grade B

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New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.

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Dec ’25Jan ’26FebAprJunJulAugYouTubePressOpen webAudioRedditTV
YouTubePressOpen webAudioRedditTV

11 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

  1. December 2025

    Columbia Sportswear / Tim Boyle seed · Dec 2 ’25

    Columbia launched a find-the-edge challenge with a newspaper letter and a CEO film.[1][2][3]

    Expedition Impossible | Columbia Sportswear
    Open the first post ↗

  2. Marketing Dive press · Dec 2 ’25

    Marketing Dive covered the launch and disclosed the prize assets were valued at $100,000.[4]

  3. Hevach / Metabunk backlash · Dec 3 ’25

    Hevach criticised the prize bundle as providing free garbage removal for Columbia.[5]

    Debunking Humor...

  1. peak · Dec 8 ’25

  2. platform jump · Dec 12 ’25

Join free to see the other 11 events and the full chart. Free, on every case.

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Why it worked

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